Opportunities in Education

Byline2:

Tiffany Carey of Bluffton, a junior at the University of Dubuque in Dubuque, Iowa, completed a class Jan. 8-19 in Beijing and Hong Kong on the Literature and Culture of China.

Participants walked the Great Wall, wandered through old imperial palaces, and climbed the second highest peak in Hong Kong (934 meters). Academic conversations centered around cultural contrasts between the two cities and questions of freedom vs. authoritarianism. The students could not use Facebook or Google — sensitive topics in Beijing. The trip was led by Nathan Faries, associate professor of English, and Eric Munshower, associate professor of business.

January 2011 marked the first full implementation of the University of Dubuque’s January Term (J-Term) calendar. One J-Term option for students is structured time for off-campus (domestic and international) studies, and this term included trips to Spain and France, China, the Bahamas and New York City.

Opportunities

TCL TO OFFER FREE CAREER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS

The Technical College of the Lowcountry’s Continuing Education and Workforce Development Division will offer a series of free career development workshops in March and April.

The workshops will help job seekers hone their professionalism and job search skills in the new economy. The four workshops will be offered from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays March 22 through April 12 at the Whale Branch Early College High School, 139 Detour Road in Seabrook. Attendees can register to participate in a single course or plan to attend the entire series. An active e-mail address is the only requirement before attending any of these offerings. Call 470-8405 to learn more.

Building Your Resumé, March 22

Participants will learn how to create a winning resumé. This is a hands-on working session.

E-mail Etiquette, March 29

In this session, participants will learn important tips and tricks for e-mail etiquette and when it is appropriate to talk face-to-face or over the phone.

Steps to a Successful

Interview, April 5

This session will focus on the basics of job searching; interview etiquette and attitude; dressing for success and how to answer tough interview questions.

Intro to Social Media,

April 12

Social Media is all the rage. This session will explore the basics of Facebook and LinkedIn, which can be used to help make and enhance professional connections.

BHS TO HOST BOBCAT PARENT INFO NIGHT

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Bluffton High School Auditorium

Description: All parents of current ninth graders are invited to come learn the facts about Bluffton High School for the upcoming school year.

Description: What is the point of the pilgrim’s trip to Canterbury, anyway? Is it a religious experience? Is it an opportunity to tell tales, play a bagpipe, and have entirely too much fun? Or is it all of these? This lecture considers the charges of immorality that some have made against pilgrimages to Canterbury, and about Chaucer’s book itself. Chaucer’s lively characters tease other and argue as they tell tales — is this a means to grace? The lecture will also tell a few of Chaucer’s most idealistic and utterly human tales. No prior knowledge of Chaucer is required.

Film and discussion in ‘The Last American Hero’

When: 7 p.m. March 18

Where: Hargray 156, USCB Hilton Head Gateway campus

Description: What does it take to become a hero? Who gets to decide? What are the profits, and what are the costs? The Last American Hero (1973), starring Jeff Bridges, tells the true story of legendary NASCAR driver Junior Johnson, as inspired by a story by Tom Wolfe. It’s a cult classic with a bracing narrative and lots of racing action. After the film, faculty will lead a discussion of the film and of NASCAR’s role in Southern and American culture, then and now.

Lecture by Sharyn McCrumb: ‘Grassroots Saints and Honky Tonk Heroes’

When: 7 p.m. March 22

Where: Center for the Arts, USCB Historic Beaufort campus

Description: Sharyn McCrumb, a prolific and New York Times best-selling novelist is coming to Beaufort County. McCrumb’s award-winning novel “St. Dale” set “The Canterbury Tales” within the world of NASCAR, and produced a wise and wonderful book that became required reading in colleges and high schools throughout the country. “St. Dale” is the story of a group of ordinary people who go on a pilgrimage in honor of racing legend Dale Earnhardt and find a miracle. McCrumb will discuss her adventures in researching and writing the novel, and distribute a teaching guide to the audience discussing the use of the novel in schools as a supplementary text in Chaucer courses. She will also examine the novel’s theme of “grassroots canonization” in terms of contemporary heroes.

“Chaucer at the Speedway” offers a look at the medieval Canterbury Tales from the lively, modern perspective of one of the South’s traditions: stock car racing. The analogy is suggested by the New York Times bestselling novel “St. Dale” by Sharon McCrumb, whose lecture will mark the culmination of three March literary events in Beaufort and Bluffton.

“Chaucer at the Speedway” kicks off with University of South Carolina Beaufort English professor Robert Kilgore offering a public lecture and discussion on the moral perspective of “The Canterbury Tales” March 14. “The Last American Hero” will be screened with a literary discussion led by USCB faculty March 18. And, Sharyn McCrumb, best known for her Appalachian Ballad novels including “The Ballad of Frankie Silver,” will discuss the metaphors of “St. Dale” in a lecture and discussion called “Grassroots Saints and Honky Talk Heroes” on March 22.

“Chaucer at the Speedway” events are free and require no reservations. Sponsors include the Humanities Council, a South Carolina program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Arts Council of Beaufort County, the City of Beaufort and the SC Arts Commission; and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundations of SC; The Beaufort Inn and the University of South Carolina Beaufort.

The Heritage Classic Foundation invites Lowcountry students to get “Plaid About Reading!” and keep the pages turning for a chance to win $1,000, a pizza party and a visit from the Heritage spokesman Willie Innes. Winners will also putt with PGA Tour pros at the 43rd Annual Heritage PGA Tour golf tournament April 18-24.

The Plaid About Reading program is a reading competition that gives elementary school students in kindergarten through fifth grade exclusive opportunities to experience the fun factor that’s the heart of the Heritage. More than a golf tournament, the Heritage is what has made plaid the fabric of our community. The tournament’s theme is “Get Your Plaid On.”

The Plaid About Reading program will run March 21 through April 11. The deadline for schools to enter is March 16:

l The school that reads the most books will win $1,000.

l The class that reads the most books will win a pizza party and a visit from the Heritage spokesman himself, Sir William “Willie” Innes.

l The students who read the most books from each class (K-5) will join pro golfers and putt with the pros on April 19 at Harbour Town Golf Links in the Sea Pines Resort.

The Heritage supports hundreds of nonprofit organizations in the community. The Heritage Classic Foundation directs and guides the tournament, and since 1987 has distributed more than $20 million to a wide variety of charitable organizations. Contact willie@heritageclassicfoundation.com; Greg Kamp at Dixon Schwabl at 785-3200; or visit theheritagegolfsc.com

DEADLINE LOOMS IN STATEWIDE TALENT SEARCH

COLUMBIA — The “This School’s Got Talent” contest is organized by South Carolina Future Minds, a statewide nonprofit that supports public schools. The contest is a way to find great entertainment for this year’s state Teacher of the Year celebration.

The submission period for video entries ends Tuesday. Preliminary judging will begin March 16 and finalists will be selected soon after. Public voting via Facebook will begin then.

The winning student or students will be invited to perform live at the 2011 South Carolina Teacher of the Year celebration on April 27 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. SCETV will film and broadcast the event across the South Carolina TimeWarner Cable system.

The contest is open to public school students in first through 12th grades in all South Carolina school districts. Entries may be submitted by anyone over 18.

The winner will be announced on April 1. Viewers may cast their vote for each video one time per day during the voting period. There are no age restrictions on voting.

Videos can be uploaded through South Carolina Future Minds’ Facebook page by clicking the “Contest” tab at www.facebook.com/southcarolinafutureminds. Videos must be at least 30 seconds long and may not exceed five minutes.